SEVEN DEVILS
by ThatOneTard
Summary: In a modern AU world, Squad Seven work as Purgers: a mix of police and crime scene investigators. One night, an entire rival group to the Purge is massacred and the evidence is pointing at one of the investigation's own members… Chaos ensues. Naruto must clear the case before the Purge is indefinitely brought down and more are overtaken by demons, both physical and personal. REPOST
1. Prologue - God Have Mercy, The Torture

NOTE: This is a repost of a deleted story. SEVEN DEVILS was originally published 09-29-17.

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DISCLAIMER: I am only typing this once for this story: I do not own Naruto or its characters. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Shueisha. Support the official release.

THE STORY: In this AU world, a noble vigilante system rose decades ago, overtaking the previous police system that belonged to the powerful Uchiha clan. Now, in a modern city setting, Squad Seven—Kakashi, Yamato, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Sai—work as Purgers: a mix of police and crime scene investigators. Their Alpha acting as the judge, jury, and executioner.

One night, an entire rival group to the Purge is massacred and the evidence is pointing at one of the investigation's own members… Chaos ensues as questions are raised and the organization that holds the city itself is threatening to break apart. Squad Seven must clear the case before the Purge is indefinitely brought down and more are overtaken by demons, both physical and personal...

Seven demons, seven days. The rabbit hole deepens and the Purge will never be the same again. Slight deconstruction and heck of a love-letter to a series I love... This is my last pre-Next Gen romp. It was also one of my firsts as well, back in 2013...

THE WORLD: This is not set in the real world but based off both the real world and the world of Naruto, but with core Naruto aspects converted in it.

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Aaaaaaand...You guys ready? This is going to be a ride, a fast one. And NOW!

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**SEVEN DEVILS**

**PROLOGUE**

The temperature was a crisp four degrees Celsius.

Not too bad. Until you'd spent more than an hour strung up in a butcher shop, listening to some Akatsuki gang member go on and on... About money, right down to the decimal point.

God have mercy. The torture.

Naruto shifted, eyes close to bleeding out of their sockets from the sheer boredom. You'd think being chained and suspended from a meat hook, "kidnapped" by an Akatsuki mercenary would get the adrenaline pumping through your veins, but no. Kakuzu just droned on. Yadda yadda yadda. Money, money, money. Add stereotypical bad guy laugh.

Okay, he didn't really do the laugh.

But he might as well have.

"You see," the man spoke confidently, his strange reddened eyes shimming from under his grey hood. "In the end, it's all about the indisputable might of money. That is why you, a so-called Purger, are here and not nestled in the comfort of your self-righteous headquarters."

Naruto's eyes briefly met one of the guards.

Five, no, four guards. _Four._ Armed.

All of them wore matching and indistinguishable coats and hats. Threatening, maybe, keeping him guard—no smart stuff the big guy had said—but still mere grunts. Only real members who you needed to worry about got to wear the trademark coat of the Akatsuki's. Black-hooded things with red zippers and lining, embellished with the cloud crest on the back. Kakuzu brandished his with surprising pride. Then again, hardly anyone who wasn't an official Akatsuki got an S-Rank from the Purge's criminal rating system.

"Black market, huh?" Naruto scoffed, shifting a bit. His hands were beginning to go numb. Which was a bit problematic. A standard set of cuffs would have been better, but Kakuzu must have improvised and used whatever was already at the butcher shop to keep him at his mercy, a length of chain and old padlock. "You really think no one's gonna look for me?"

"Oh, they'll find something," Kakuzu said, pointing to one of the skinned animals hanging behind him. "A body so charred it can't be identified."

An Akatsuki ring glittered from his finger. Naruto caught a line of stitches around his arm under his coat sleeve and knew he had a heck of a lot more stitches than that. Cripes was this guy a masochist's wet dream. Scratch that, his partner, Hidan, was, but lucky for everyone in the city, that lunatic was in a padded cell right now back at Purge Headquarters, where this guy should be too.

No one in the Purge would be forgiving Hidan anytime soon after he'd killed one of their officers, Asuma. Not only had he done it, he'd been blatantly proud about it. Seems his partner was trying to go the cover-it-up route to protect himself from the same fate.

"I don't think a dead pig is going to fool anyone, genius," Naruto scoffed.

"I never said it would be an animal. Merely that we're all made of the same stuff. Blood, muscles, the heart." A dark finger poked at his chest.

_Um, yeah, get that tentacle digit away from me._ Naruto shifted and Kakuzu turned back to the carcass.

"This animal, a man, spliced open, burned beyond recognition, they make no difference. A body's a body."

"One," Naruto said, "A substitute body, even human, still wouldn't fool our lab techs. What do you think this is, the dark ages? And two, you'd really be doing yourself in. Kidnapping's one thing. Killing's another. You'd think you would have learned that after we caught your partner."

"I kill when it's worth my time and the effort of clean up. And this one was. You."

"Why me?" Naruto asked. "I'm just one Purger. So why single me out specifically? Wouldn't we all have people out for us, willing to fork some dough out?"

Who knows how much the underworld would be willing to pay to take individual Purge members out. Acting as Konoha's law enforcement and rehabilitation, the Purge had gained a lot of personal enemies since its founding decades ago. No one in the city didn't not know its name, its mark. They had the city's respect and the criminals' fear. There would be no bribery that could get them their way anymore. No more threats to a jury. No corruption or blackmail. No. The Purge had set itself into place and stood its ground as the city's new incorruptible law enforcement.

He briefly mused what the price was for Ibiki's head, the Purge's head interrogator.

Still, it didn't explain why Kakuzu had singled Naruto out specifically. Compared to just about everybody else who worked for the Purge, Naruto was literally a nobody. Unlike everyone else, he wasn't raised into this life. Didn't have parents who worked for the system. It was a miracle he'd even been accepted into what was essentially a very tight-knit group of high standards.

"Not sure why but you're the most valuable," Kakuzu continued, arms crossing. "Tailing you was easy, capturing you was even easier. These people must be out of their minds."

Naruto fought the urge to spit out that tailing him had been easy only because he had _let_ him once he'd become aware that he was being tracked.

The man grinned. Well, Naruto suspected he was, kind of hard to actually see his mouth when he kept it covered with a thick cloth. "Let's just say your head's worth a lot on the black market. Astounding price, actually. Got men who are going to pick you up before the shop opens. They said they wanted you alive. Surely, for some use. Otherwise, you would be _dead_ right now."

It was rumored that Kakuzu had a heart tattooed on his chest for every life he directly took. If Naruto was being transferred into a third party's hands, Kakuzu would miss out on another heart.

Poor thing.

"Ah," Naruto deadpanned. "Who exactly are you trying to sell me to?"

Again, a sneer-like expression came over him, the skin between his eyebrows bunching up. "I've already said too much. Now be quiet."

Naruto grinned mischievously."Yeah, I don't do quiet."

Kakuzu proceeded to look to one of his imps who then took it upon themselves to smack Naruto with the butt of their gun. Naruto grimaced. "Ow."

The guard then took his spot, positioning himself behind Kakuzu.

Shifting again Naruto squeezed his fists, trying to get feeling back in them. His arms were hurting as well "You aren't going to get away with this, you know."

Cliché, he knew. But at this point, he was stalling. Numb hands wouldn't do.

"Here's what you don't understand, _officer_, I already have. It's too late for help." Again, Naruto got the sense he was smirking under his covering. No doubt thinking of the money Naruto's head was apparently worth. He was almost flattered it was enough to warrant this greedy creep's special attention. "The supposed mighty have fallen."

Naruto curled his fingers once more before extending two out. He scoffed. "That's not how this is."

"Then tell me, runt, how is this in those deluded eyes of yours."

Naruto lowered his middle finger. _One._

"A trust fall. Completely different thing, ugly."

A nasty chuckle crept from the man's throat "The only thing you can count on in this world to catch you is money and last I checked, you're alone and poor."

He'd said "poor" as if it was some disease. And alone?

Rule number one in this city? Never tick a Purger off. Number two? Especially if their family _is_ the Purge.

Naruto smirked and curled his pointer. _Zero._

"Hey Sasuke," he called. "I think I'm ready now! I got him to say quite a bit."

"What?!"

"Yeah, Sasuke's kinda been recording your monologuing for me like the whole time." He couldn't help gloating. He really couldn't.

Scarcely before Kakuzu could turn around, the facade of the fifth armed guard was shattered as Sasuke pulled out his gun and pressed it to the back of the man's skull. "Everyone to your knees!" he called, voice loud with authority.

Kakuzu was utterly still, his eyes scanning Sasuke. Somewhere along the transition, Sasuke had ripped the coat off to improve his mobility. A badge glistened at his hip. His breathing was even, his hand steady. "You're under arrest for kidnapping."

In the other hand was a small gadget.

Kakuzu let out a panicked and frustrated snarl. "Get the device! One grand to the man who does!" Within seconds the surrounding men began to break formations, whipping out their own guns. Kakuzu was ducking out of the way just as one made to strike Sasuke's arm.

Sasuke knocked the incoming imp out with a roundhouse kick to his throat and was already twisting around to punch the second, aiming straight for the gun in their hand. When caught in a fight with guns, the first priority was to take care of the other firearms. The man's was knocked from his hand and clattering to the ground already. Another quickly followed.

"Just give me a minute!" Naruto called, struggling with getting out of his suspended position. "Start without me!"

"Sure," Sasuke spat, tone both sarcastic and angry as he parried an attack. "After you had to announce that I was recording it!"

Okay, maybe Naruto should have kept that to himself until after Kakuzu had been taken care of. But there was no going back now.

The third guard lunged for him. He swung his feet forward, attaching to them with a grunt and a heave. Using the momentum and his footing, he propelled himself up and off the hook. Flipping over its hold he landed on the cold floor, groaning. He didn't have time to recover before the grunt had turned himself around, enraged and ready to pummel him.

Smirking, Naruto grabbed hold of the chain still at his hands and looped it over the man's neck just as he barreled toward him. The man struggled against his hold and it took every ounce of Naruto's control to make sure he wasn't choked to death.

Thrashing for oxygen, the goon buckled and Naruto's back slammed into the concrete floor. Cursing, he rolled the guy off as they continued to struggle. Naruto kept the upper hand, keeping him at his length.

"Okay, buddy, gonna need ya to go to sleep!"

Like a fish flopping, the man fought against Naruto's hold until he could no more and went limp, finally unconscious.

Before he could be assailed again, Naruto ducked through the chaos and skidded to the side, where he began to wrestle with the lock at his wrists, still binding them. He moved furiously, taking a makeshift lock pick out of a paperclip he'd had in his pocket and began fitting it into the lock, trying to twist the tumblers inside.

All around him the three men fighting still were grunting or knocking into things. Sasuke wasn't usually so noisy, then again he was outnumbered.

Cursing, Naruto twisted harder at the lock. "Stupid clip!"

A man flew towards him, head first, crashing into the metal cabinet with a loud slam. Naruto rolled to the side, pulling the gun from his hands. "Thanks!"

The fifth guard Sasuke had replaced and stolen clothes from crashed through the door, expression lit with furry. Sasuke and Naruto's eyes briefly locked and Naruto nodded. _Let's do this._

Screw the chain, he could improvise.

"Sasuke!" He ran towards him and Sasuke grabbed his arms, swinging him so his feet slammed into the man's stomach. They crashed into the wall. Apparently not hard enough though. Naruto took a hit before he ducked down, and swung his chain at their ankles. They tripped and he assailed them with his fists. "Stay down!"

They collapsed, groaning. A pair of cuffs slid across the floor and he grabbed them and cuffed the man to a table. That made all five of Kakuzu's men that were either incapacitated or unconscious, all sprawled out on the floor with minor injuries. One in his briefs.

Five down, one last one to go.

"Hands to the back of your head!" Naruto roared, pointing the gun at Kakuzu. Kakuzu stood between him and the Uchiha, frozen and obviously debating on his next move. Either take on the both of them and hope he can destroy the evidence... or flee. From his position, the door to the shop was several feet away and blocked by a metal table.

Kakuzu knew though that evidence was everything.

"I said," Naruto growled, enunciating very slowly, "hands to the back of your head or you're going to enjoy walking with a limp for a while."

A cold aura seemed to emit from the man as he glared at Naruto, eyes narrowed. His eyebrows drew down into a calculating and snide smirk. "We all know you haven't fired a gun in a very long time."

Like he wanted, it was already creeping under Naruto's skin. His hands began to shake.

"You were cursed with blood on your hands from the beginning," he continued, slowly.

Sasuke looked to Naruto with an almost concerned expression.

"SHUT UP!"

"We all have our dark pasts. As for me, I'm not looking to change it. And I'm not going back to that dump."

He lunged toward Naruto, grabbing hold of him by the chain dangling from his wrists, and yanked on it hard. Naruto had to hold back a scream from the flaring pain that shot up through his arms from the force. He was jerked forward, the gun slipping from his grip and next thing he knew he was flying into Sasuke. They collided into each other, falling to the floor.

Kakuzu made a run for it, kicking the weapon while he was at it. It slid under a counter, becoming lost.

"Get off me!" Sasuke jerked upward, shoving Naruto to the side. Shots rang, the gloss of Sasuke's handgun flashing.

Recoil.

Smoke.

The sprinklers started going off.

Sasuke hadn't just used any bullets, no, he'd used one of his custom ones that were created to become extra heated at the barrel and ignited at the muzzle. Only for special occasions of course.

Caught off guard, Kakuzu slid, shoes losing their traction with the now wet flooring. Sasuke was already going after him again, another set of handcuffs ready. A cart slid across the floor with his direction, he leaped off of it and at Kakuzu, catching him. They crashed.

And like that, it was over.

While Sasuke handled the money-obsessed creep, Naruto sat, waiting for the pain in his shoulders to subside, shivering.

Seconds later, the clatter of magazine switching, the cock and a bullet zipped by, hot and electric.

Naruto's heart felt like it'd jumped out of his chest at the sudden shot. He looked to Sasuke, eyes wide and angry.

"You could have shot my freaking hand!" Naruto screamed, jerking the chain off, the padlock blown to smithereens. The chains clattered to the floor, easing the weight at his hands.

Sasuke approached him, smirking. "I don't miss."

"And now that you officially opened gunfire, the whole town knows we're here. Whoever Kakuzu made a deal with will avoid this place like the plague—AND you bent my paperclip. I would have gotten myself free otherwise."

It became quiet, nothing made a sound except for the water coming down from the sprinklers. Naruto got to his feet, and stood, rubbing his wrists.

Sasuke, noticing, raised a brow. "You okay?"

"That freak! Using a chain, a freaking chain!" He would have bruises by morning.

Sasuke scoffed, giving him a good hard look. "Do you have a preference to how criminals bind you or something?"

Naruto answered shockingly without hesitation. "Yeah. Stuff that, like the great Houdini, I can get out of. You know, like handcuffs!"

The Uchiha stared at him a solid minute before shaking his head.

"Whatever. Let's just get this place situated."

They were both soaking wet and the sprinklers weren't going to stop on their own. Not for a while at least and water was the last thing they wanted. It was bad enough Sasuke had put holes in the ceiling. And the metal interior had just gotten dented. Yeah, the shopkeepers weren't going to be happy and that, in turn, made the Alpha unhappy.

Naruto had just found the control to the sprinkler system when he saw a lump sprawled on the floor. It was in a sectioned off area, mostly concealed by shadow and hanging carcasses. Big. He flipped the nearby light switch, illuminating the area. He could sense Sasuke come behind him, also staring at the lump.

A tarp was sprawled out and covered with blood. And he doubted it was from an animal.

Naruto swallowed, his heart stopping mid-beat.

"That's a lot of blood. Too much."

Someone had bled out here. The puddle of dark crimson was huge...

_It was a special day for him, a chance to go with the Purge on a legit big case, even a personal one! He was giddy with excitement. Gonna save the day, save the victim! It was this comic book scenario he had always dreamed of._

_Then things had to go horrifically wrong._

Sasuke stared at him, mouth partially open as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

_There was a great pool of blood._

_He was standing there, looking in horror at the pool. The body_

_..._

_Then heat, heat all around him._

_A cry and shove._

Sasuke pushed on his shoulder. "Naruto."

Naruto shook his head. Cold air surrounded him. Crisp and affirming.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that."

"It could belong to the substitute body."

"Yeah."

He kneeled over the tarp, taking a deep breath. There was a bloodied white scarf to the side as if it had fallen. Caught on it was an ID card. Perhaps from a struggle. Or it had fallen off after one. "There's an ID here."

He slowly picked the bloodstained card up. The name was long, started with a B, and he doubted the man went by it. Seemed like a nickname-guy from the picture on it. He was a muscular man, seemed to have a fun air about him by the smile he gave. Much too big for what was supposed to be a casual picture for the purposes of identification. Dark skin, unnaturally light hair. Goatee. A few tattoos. There was a blue horn on his cheek that Naruto didn't recognize. Maybe it meant something, maybe not.

Naruto tilted his head, noticing a tattoo on the shoulder as well. "That Chinese?"

"Japanese," Sasuke said, squinting at the picture, his head tilting slightly. "Kanji for iron."

"Iron? Think he's from the Kumo District?"

"Definitely."

"That's Purge's jurisdiction, right?" Naruto said. "Don't want an Uchiha getting antsy with jurisdiction again." He paused. "No offense."

Disputes between the Purge and the Uchiha who used to be prominent in a traditional judicial gig when it was still around were at an all-time high. While the city had long welcomed the new and absolute system that focused itself on both crime, investigation, and emphasized rehabilitation, the Uchiha hadn't been willing to give up their post and police station that now remained nearly inoperative even within its own borders. So nowadays they focused mostly on security, sometimes worked as private investigators. But they were really mostly glorified bodyguards anymore.

That Sasuke would be working with the Purge instead of with his established and renowned clan was nearly unheard of. He was the only one outside his brother to do so. And it didn't help the relationship with their father any.

"No. None of that," Sasuke answered. He pulled out his phone and began dialing.

"Kakashi?"

Sasuke was the only one to refuse to call their captain by his official title. And everyone else for that matter.

"We're going to need someone from the identification division. Yeah, have Sai bring his camera. We've got a crime scene. A lot of blood and six suspects, one of which is part of the Akatsuki. Yes. I'll go ahead and send Sakura the audio from Kakuzu."

A pause.

"The lead I told you about was correct. He's okay."

Naruto grimaced. "You knew I was being tailed before I told you, didn't you?"

Sasuke shrugged, slipping his phone into his pocket.

"How long?"

"Longer than you."

Cripes, Sasuke.

"Well next time something like this happens, you can be the freaking sheep!"

"Alright." Sasuke smirked. "I'll be sure to relay that next time I catch her spying on you."

"WHAT?!"

_-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-_

Outside the sun had just sunk and the moon glared at him, its stars beginning to penetrate the sky. Night would be upon them soon with all her darkness and silent secrets.

Naruto waited outside, watching the window as Squad Seven processed the scene. Kakuzu had said people would pick him up in the morning but since Sasuke had opened fire, any outsider would have been alerted of the Purge's involvement, making this case a temporary dead end. Kakuzu wouldn't talk. Not unless he was promised freedom and paid off. But the days of bribery were forever gone.

Inside the restaurant, he could spot the outline of Kakashi quickly by his wild hair. See him in the window...

_'You were cursed with blood on your hands from the beginning.'_

He frowned and closed his eyes.

_The men were arguing. The door had a window, covered by thin paper. He could see their outlines, one of which had wild hair. Hair that seemed to defy the laws of gravity. They were face to face. Angry._

_He could hear the younger of the two. "This is exactly why we don't bring trainee minors on the field!"_

_"It was just an initiation. The Alpha cleared it!"_

_"Did she clear the gun, huh?!" There was a slam as something clattered to the desk. "He nearly killed him!"_

_"And I would have taken full responsibility."_

_A scoff. "When have you ever taken responsibility for him, huh?"_

_A clatter. A chair, fallen._

_"Yamato, I highly suggest you keep a proper tone with your superior."_

_It went dead silent._

_The slam of the door as Yamato left. His angry eye briefly met a then fifteen Naruto's and softened._

_"I'm...I'm sorry you had to...To go through this, kid. The only comfort I can give you is advice, don't step foot here again."_

Naruto blinked.

"You're in trouble, mister."

"Captain," he stuttered, coming to attention.

Kakashi didn't look happy.

Like Kakuzu, his captain and one of the Purge's best detectives was known to keep his mouth hidden. Sometimes it was a scarf. Most days it was covered by a medical mask. It wouldn't have been a big deal if he'd just lower it once in a while. But he never did. It only roused suspicions and made itself a fun topic of interest at headquarters. Did he suffer from constant nosebleeds? Have big lips? How the heck did he drink or eat? Who knew, he was a mystery.

He stood before him now, wearing a dark jacket and green vest. He had a wild bulk of silver hair that oddly did not portray his age at all. He was only old enough, Naruto supposed, to be his father and not his grandfather like his hair color might falsely lead others to believe. He did have a disability, if it could be called that, a blind eye, or rather a socket with a glass ball which he kept covered with an eyepatch. You could still see the scar running down his face under it.

He didn't talk about it and no one asked. It was just that kind of relationship. While there was superiority, they also retained an odd closeness, almost like that of a family. Squad Seven was an unusually close but big one.

Teams were comprised of one or two officers, a crime-laboratory technician, and a detective as a captain. Sai would sometimes join if there was a crime scene involved. He'd be there, sketching and taking pictures. He made some of the best constructs on their computers, replicating the crime scenes right down to the speck of dirt that could be the key to breaking the case.

Sai and Sakura were still inside, taking care of things now, with Sakura trying to find more evidence. She was standing in front of a row of carcasses, trying to find any sign of possible blood splatter, trying to place the death there. Trying to figure out where and how the body left. Sasuke was changing out of his wet clothes and getting the car. Being only officers, sometimes they got to leave before the others.

Kakashi had come outside to talk to him. All these years later and he was apart of the Legend's squad. Who would have thunk?

"You could have been killed. Not to mention you failed to notify the Purge of your intentions."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Forgive me, there wasn't exactly a lot of time to be like, hey, one of the Akatsuki's tailing me. But he doesn't know I have a roommate tailing him too. It was a plan made on the fly. And it worked. We got him spilling his guts _and_ apprehended. To a cell it is. I recommend the fourth block."

Kakashi shook his head. "Tsunade's going to pitch a fit."

Tsunade was the head of it all. Alpha of the Purge Operations and as such, partner to the current mayor. An elderly lady who somehow had the spunk of a twenty-year-old. If you didn't know any better and were tricked by her attempts to retain her youthful appearance with surgery and makeup you'd think she _was_ twenty years old. She was fierce too. Last time an operative had gotten her mad, she had literally broken her desk in half.

"Hey, everyone came out alright."

"So the blood—"

"Would you just look at the time!" Naruto handed him the blanket. "If you don't mind, I'm very tired and need to go home. Don't worry, my statements already been taken care of."

Sasuke had pulled the car up.

"Naruto—" Kakashi called but Naruto had already closed the door.

"We're not done yet!"

"See you later!"

Okay, he was avoiding him. So what.

As Sasuke's dark blue car pulled away, Naruto fidgeted in his seat.

"Hey, where's my Kyuubi?"

"For the last time, it is a gun, not some pet to name."

"You're just jealous because my special Rasengan bullets are cooler than your fire-starters."

Sasuke shook his head. "The bullets don't have names either, you tard."

"They do if I say so. Besides." Naruto picked his revolver from the dashboard, where Sasuke had apparently stashed it for safekeeping before Naruto had been "taken".

On its frame, a nine-tailed fox was etched into its surface. Naruto traced it briefly, smiling softly to himself. A creature of myth. Known to be mischievous. He could think of no better persona.

"This came from one of the founders. The fourth Alpha of the Purge. Then it went to Jiraiya. Godfather then gave it to me before... Before that mission. Now I have it." He smiled. "This gun is a freaking legacy in itself. So if I want to call it the Kyuubi, I can call it the Kyuubi."

"Hmph. Loser."

"Bas— Oh! Hang on, someone's calling." Naruto wrestled around in the dashboard again, this time pulling his cell phone out.

"Yeah?"

_"You left before we were done, Naruto."_

Kakashi.

Sighing, Naruto leaned back against the seat, dampening the material. "I know but today's been very... tiring. My arms are about to fall off. Like seriously, suspension trauma, man."

_"That's your own fault, Naruto. But we'll talk about it later."_

"Lecture me then, Cap, until then, retiring. Got a short vacation to get to and all. R and R."

By short vacation, he really meant just a few days, personal hours really. He would be back the following Wednesday.

_"I'm serious, you're doing every sheet of the paperwork first thing when you get back."_

"Yeah, yeah."

_"And Naruto... I know how when the Akatsuki's involved, it feels personal. But it's been"_

"Look, Kakashi, I appreciate your concern but I'm fine. It's history, we all know that... Justice was— _is_ absolute. I got it, alright?"

There was a pause. Always a pause.

_Naruto was sitting in the hallway still, eyes watching the door to Kakashi's office closely._

_A few minutes later, he was summoned._

_He wiped the tears from his face and glanced to the side._

_His godfather gave a reassuring nod. "What happens, happens. You'll be okay."_

_On the desk, a gun bagged as evidence glistened. He could not take his eyes off the weapon for a moment._

_Kakashi sat behind his desk, fingers interlocked. Naruto noticed the scar under his eyepatch for the first time and wondered how he got it. Wondered if he got it while on a case as a Purger._

_He wondered if he would ever get another chance again. His fears were dissolved in a matter of a few sentences by the head detective._

_This man was not going to shut the door on Naruto's face as so many, even himself had done._

_Naruto had a choice still, remain here, keep training, or fade and become obsolete._

_Naruto was straight up flabbergasted._

_An eyebrow arched up at his uncharacteristic disability to talk._

_"I understand if you want to quit this organization after today."_

_"No," he finally whispered. "I will. I never want anyone to feel what I do. So I will keep training. I'll get better. I will Purge."_

_After a moment of either serious contemplation or straight up concern, Kakashi smiled, handing him a badge. On it was a fiery creature. A Phoenix, surrounded by Latin that translated to Inheritors of the Will of Fire._

_"Then it is now official, you are a full-fledged member after today and a member of my squad. From here on, you obey and work with me, Namikaze."_

_Naruto looked at him funnily, taking the badge. "Um, Cap, again, my name's Uzumaki. Naruto Uzumaki."_

_Kakashi laughed. "Whoops, sorry about that. I keep forgetting...Welcome aboard...Uzumaki."_

He could and would probably always be able to see the scene play out in his mind, that entire day.

"Kakashi," he said, back in the present. "We'll talk later, alright?"

There was a long pause before he got a mumbled answer.

He hung up and turned to Sasuke. "He said you're filing the paperwork. I apparently can't be trusted to do anything right."

Sasuke's eyelids narrowed. "Did he now?"

"Yup."

Naruto smiled now but the events of the following week couldn't have been worse.

The paperwork would lie there, unfinished, words would remain unspoken and the streets would run with blood.


	2. The Email

**To: Uzumaki_Naruto**

**Subject: Arranged Meeting**

**Dear Uzumaki,**

**Before the transition, there are confirmations of various degrees I need. The third of October, promptly at 8:00 PM, I request your audience at the Uchiha Headquarters to discuss certain matters. See attachment for further details.**

**This exchange will be between only us. Do not involve my son.**

**\- Uchiha Fugaku**

**30/9/17**


	3. The First

**The First**

* * *

Naruto stirred, jolting awake. His eyes cracked open, meeting with the glaring presence of light.

The first and only thing he knew was an all-consuming sense of disorientation.

It was daytime. Smelled like morning. And he was seated in his car, his forehead red from being pressed to the dashboard. He leaned back, rubbing his head. It felt heavy. Sluggish.

He moaned, brow crinkling. His body was stiff and his senses felt... off. His mind, worse.

Rubbing his eyes, he glanced outside his car window. It was morning and the sun was beginning its dominating rise, the windows of surrounding cars reflecting it with harsh glares. He had to shield his eyes.

Okay, he thought. A parking lot...

He stared outside in growing confusion. "What the..."

Why was he parked here and—

"Crap!"

The digital clock numbers read _7:13_. Meaning he was very, very late and, holy crap, Kakashi would skin him alive. No, forget him, what about Tsunade? He shivered at the thought of incurring her wrath.

Quickly, he started his car and drove off, pushing his questions to the side. But they tarried there and he could not fight off the feeling of it niggling inside him.

His hand instinctively reached for under his seat while the other remained on the steering wheel. Fingers graced across a metallic surface. The _Kyuubi_. A breath of reassurance. Almost.

Purge cars rushed past his, sirens blaring.

_Seriously, what's going on?_

No matter. He'd be at headquarters and know soon enough.

_-xxxxxxx-_

Detective Kakashi stared at the bloody scene before him and his hangover was obliterated from the pure level of horror he was looking at right now, the likes of which he hadn't felt in over a decade.

Unconsciously, his fingers reached for his gun holster, just hovering against the material but not unbuttoning it.

Seconds of tenseness passed, dangling on the verge of snapping out as a stretched rubber band. But with a collective breath, the safety of the device was forgotten and he pulled the yellow tape up and entered the crime scene.

"You're late, Captain."

The voice belonged to a younger Purge member from his squad who went simply by the name of Sai. No surname or any other kind of title. Seems Sai had gotten here before him. Hadn't had to stop for coffee like Kakashi had.

"Sorry about that, Sai," Kakashi said, turning toward him. Sai blinked emotionlessly and lowered his camera so that it hung from its strap, giving the captain his undivided attention.

"I was speeding here when my car ran over a cat, and I just couldn't leave its body in the middle of the road so I was forced to park and ever so tenderly move the cat's corpse to the sidewalk. But then a little girl came and saw, and it turned out she was that cat's owner. You see how that was problematic for me?"

Sai chuckled. "Yet another tall excuse, eh? What little girl would wake up so early in the morning and also happen to notice her missing feline and go out to search for it just as early, on a school day at that? There was no cat and no little girl."

"Maybe I was mistaken…" Kakashi paused realizing the flaw in his story. He should have known Sai would have caught onto any mistakes, even the tiniest ones. Now if he had been speaking to Naruto on the other hand…

Finally, he admitted the truth. "I honestly thought this was a joke. This isn't even in our jurisdiction."

Sai nodded somberly. "It is now."

Again, they looked out towards the scene before them and something in Kakashi shivered. They dealt with crime scenes routinely. But this crime scene was... different.

The word "scene" didn't even cover a fraction of it.

"Geez," he breathed, rubbing his temple. "Wonder how long we have until one of us gets to be the one to break the news to Sasuke."

"Something this magnitude isn't going to be hidden for long," Sai countered, rather unapologetically. He wasn't one to mince words. "You know that. He's going to find out before lunchtime and, well, it won't be pretty."

Kakashi closed his eyes; not pretty indeed.

"I know but..." He left it unsaid.

"Alright then." Sai held up his bulky camera. "Be careful not to disturb anything. I've not got all the pictures yet. As you can see…"

The scene that lay before them was gruesome and seemed to span the entire estate. What was once the glorious heart of the Uchiha estate and closed-off community was now covered in bloodied bodies. In Kakashi's tardiness, Sai had already placed many small numbered yellow tents to mark all necessary places of evidence and spots of interests, or at least the ones for outside.

"I've not even touched inside the houses, yet," he commented, noticing Kakashi's line of sight. "But they seem to be broken into and in the same state."

"Anyone alive to tell us what they saw?"

"No. And whoever did this tried to take care of security too. The electricity was shut off for the entire estate, disabling a lot of the cameras. Then..." He chuckled grimly. "I caught a few dead dogs as well. They were speedily and carelessly taken out. They didn't bother with other pets, the quiet ones."

"Lovely," Kakashi deadpanned. "Their cats probably tampered with—"

"Not this time. I went ahead and called animal services so the evidence wouldn't be compromised. Don't worry, I didn't let the workers on the scene."

That would explain the cat hair on Sai. And some blood.

Kakashi turned his line of sight back to the estate.

The sheer amount of the evidence marking tents littered the area like the grains of sand on a beach. The bodies, already marked with the triangles as well, were young and old alike.

How sad. No one was spared from this butchery.

Kakashi kneeled down in front of a body that was nearest. A male, middle-aged, wearing pajama bottoms and an old T-shirt. Nearly all the bodies seemed to be dressed for bed or else wore dirty clothes ready for the next day's changing.

Quite a few had the Uchiha security uniform on. Black shirt and dark pants. A late night then, for quite a few of them. Noticeably older males. Kakashi pulled out his notebook, a ratty old red-leathered thing. Jotting that down, he then focused on the body below him.

From the looks of it, he figured, upon closely examining the obvious external trauma via blood pooling out an open wound, the perp went through this place stabbing victims, making sure to go for vital areas so they could quickly hit the next person.

He scribbled on the lined pages:

**_Vital spots._**

**_Fast._**

**_A blade?_**

He paused in his writing. This must have been done in the dead of night, and by the time attention was roused and others had woken, it was still too late for them. He wrote down more.

**_Late night._**

**_Planned._**

**_Why this night?_**

**_Why this estate?_**

**_Find significance._**

With a grim expression, he slid the notebook back into the front pocket of his black jeans.

_So many bodies… And to think, we're only at the front of the estate._

The Uchiha estate was surrounded by a walled fence. In it were rows and rows of houses and at the front entrance, the heart, their own headquarters for security, once the police department. The building stood as a testimony of the power once held. Now it was equally a victim as its workers. The windows were broken, the exterior marred. It seemed to have been hit the hardest and numerous bodies could be seen from where Kakashi stood now, lain about in the inside, their backs and throats crimson.

"I think they would have had to use a long knife," Sai said, like a voice in the background. He was hunched over another body. "A military or hunting one perhaps."

Sai turned the head of the body so he could examine the neck. A young girl, curled up, wearing a baby-pink gown.

It was a difficult sight, but Kakashi was well experienced. As for Sai, well he was bred for perfection and lived to get the job done. He was one of Danzo's guys and that man had raised potential members at the orphanage with an iron fist. They were trained to take people down before puberty even hit. Harsh but effective. Sai was the last of his kind though, as the codename Roots Initiative had been shut down completely a couple of years ago.

Kakashi inhaled through his mouth and moved away from the body before him.

Even though both had experience with crime scenes, the stench polluting the air around them was still barely tolerable. The massacre may have happened that night, the bodies had yet to begin to decompose but even so, the sheer amount of fresh blood soaking into the ground made for a strong and foul stench. It was said that after three minutes of being in such a foul odor one would go through olfactory fatigue and the nerves would go numb. Three minutes was not fast enough.

Clicks from Sai's camera ticked on as he took numerous pictures and occasionally scribbled and sketched in his notebook what he saw, it would take him a good amount of time to cover everything. Taking pictures and taking notes on the crime scene involved capturing every little detail that could prove useful to solving the case, every victim, their wounds, footsteps, and car tracks. Which strangely Kakashi couldn't see any visible prints or tracks of any kind around. Hopefully, this was not an omen of further problems to come with obtaining biological evidence.

As Kakashi gazed out at the gory sight before him he thought carefully about how to go about this case as one of his own squad members was, in fact, an Uchiha. Just how would Sasuke take the news of the slaughter of seemingly the entire family? There was no way he'd handle it well at all. No telling what he would do. How bad it'd get and, frankly, Kakashi wasn't looking to find out and handle damage control. But he would if he had to.

Sasuke was one of _his_. And he took care of his squad.

Sasuke was one of the few Uchiha who did not still dwell in his family's estate. Most did. They were supposedly a tight family of high status. Very traditional. Duty and honor. And as a son of the head, Sasuke was supposed to be his father's right-hand man. Instead, he and Naruto were roommates at a cheap apartment. And if he hadn't been… he, too, would have certainly fell victim to this crime.

Someone clearly had it out for Uchiha blood. The question was why? Why go past just their crime unit and attack their families as well? This went past their possible history with their crime unit then. That or they were just a psycho. There was killing in the heat of the moment, unintentional or rage-filled accidents, then there was just butchery. Planned out butchery and this one was. Covered tracks, EMP. They had planned this and executed it with seeming perfection.

But for this magnitude? Was this just to make a statement of some kind, or just for attention? Either way, they had it.

When Kakashi had left that morning upon being dispatched by Tsunade, Sasuke had been buried under paperwork at her order as well.

"We don't need another _Deidara Incident_," she had told Kakashi in private and now he understood why

Kakashi felt sincere pity sweep through him for the young man.

He pulled his radio out. "Tsunade boss," he said calling the Alpha, "do not dispatch the rest of Squad Seven, not even Sakura, I repeat do not. Any other Squad but them."

He heard a sigh on the other end. _"Is it as bad as the caller said it is?"_

"It's a lot worse. An all-out massacre. No survivors."

Her breath caught for a moment. _"I understand…Sakura is holed up conducting an autopsy on a body found last night and Uzumaki hasn't even clocked in yet. Probably stayed up late playing that new stupid Make Out Zombies game,"_ she complained. _"He kept carrying on about how they put Jiraiya in the game in honor of him or something. Seems rubbish to me but, you know, Naruto never shuts up over anything."_

Kakashi would have to borrow that...

_"But,"_ Tsunade said, continuing. He shook his head at Tsunade's voice._ "What do you want me to do about Sasuke? That paperwork won't hold him long."_

Whoever had done this would surely have Sasuke to fear. More clicks from Sai's camera ticked by as he made his way while trying to carefully step over the numerous bodies.

Kakashi sighed. "Keep him busy until I have a chance to personally talk to him, Alph. I need to be the one to do it, no one else, nothing else. This is going to be hard for him. And I can already just see him wanting to react violently."

_"I see. Because of Officer Uzumaki's tardiness this morning, I dispatched Officer Akimichi to patrol the Uchiha estate earlier in his place. I will go ahead and send out the rest of his squad to handle the scene as well. A dog as well. But I am not dismissing you yourself from the case. Out."_

Kakashi nodded, thankful for Tsunade's cooperation. Kiba and Team Ten were good choices. He was especially grateful he'd have Shikamaru's help with this case. That kid had brains; he was a valuable Purge member who handled not only evidence collection but also he was one of the Purge's best crime-laboratory technicians as well. Ino, on the other hand, was inferior to Squad Seven's Sakura as a medical examiner unfortunately but any help this case could get was much needed.

Besides, it didn't take great medical expertise to see that these victims were dead as could be and clear victims to stabbing. Judging by the direction of some of the slits, victims to a right-handed attacker as well. Speaking of Squad Ten, where was their officer, Choji? He was a rather big fellow, long wild hair, so it was hard to miss him.

As the captain advanced through the ghost town that was their crime scene he found himself pulled to the wall and was about to step outside the black gates when a silver object caught his eyesight. The silver glinted in the rising sun's light, caught by the brick that surrounded the Uchiha Estate.

"Hey Sai," Kakashi called. "By the gate, side entrance, look."

Sai stopped and walked towards the object Kakashi had pointed out. It was a bloodied knife. He quickly began taking pictures, capturing its position, measurements, and location from multiple angles and distances.

"Since no one reported gunshots last night and the victims appear to be killed by a sharp weapon this just might be a murder weapon," Sai said. "Either way, it's definitely probative."

"This makes our job easier," Kakashi began, an eyebrow twitching downward, suspicious of their luck.

Tracks had not been left but yet something as damnable as a murder weapon was?

Sai shrugged. "Maybe the assailant unexpectedly dropped it in their haste. Dispatch did say the caller who reported the scene saw a figure rush off around 4 A.M."

"Yes," Kakashi mumbled. "Hopefully the perp left a few good fingerprints on there for us to find."

**_Note: The Caller. 4 in the morning._**

"It would make this case so much easier," Sai said. He kneeled down and began carefully picking the knife up by its tip in his gloved hands. He pulled out his flashlight and examined it closely.

**_Check Caller's alibi and address out._**

"Thank goodness," he said pulling out a kit. Kakashi lowered his pen.

"What is it?"

"There're some patent prints. Looks like we got a palm too."

"Nice. But I still want it lifted. Give me the card."

Sai immediately set to work lifting the prints with powder after photographing it.

Kakashi glanced to where the knife had originally been, right outside a side entrance...

"While you're doing that I'm going to check in with Officer Akimichi about the person who called this scene in."

"Yes, Captain Kakashi."

It wouldn't be the first time a "witness" or caller turned up to be_ the_ guy and one who only called to try to ease suspicion. It didn't, not in Kakashi's book.

Outside the gates, the smell was less putrid. Kakashi was thankful for the fresh air. He looked back and forth; it appeared Choji had done a fine job not only taping off the perimeter with the yellow tape but putting cones and signs out, giving them plenty of space, a little extra but they would need it the moment this case got attention from the press. He took a step to find the officer when a tingling stopped him. Something was here as well, yes, in the grass he could see another body. Strange, this one appeared to be the only one outside the estate's gates.

He approached them carefully as if any noise he'd make would disturb their lingering spirit.

"Now, let's see what happened here," he mumbled, carefully cradling the head. He turned it.

And recognized their face immediately.

"Oh, God."

His heart stopped beating. Needles prickled his skin. He knew exactly who this woman was.

She was Sasuke's mother.

He crouched next to her, his chest heavy. Unlike the other bodies, there were numerous stab wounds.

"Why?" he whispered.

He lowered her and scanned the area from the gate to her form. There were drops of blood coating the tips of grass between the two points and drags across the ground. Looking closely at the drags and droplets he tried to visualize what had happened in this small area. Imagine her like a projection or ghost, her image collapsing outside the gates, as if not able to make it anymore. There was more blood, not from being still, no from another attack. He touched the drop, feeling the ground. It came from behind her. Dirt swirled, possibly from her own attack.

Tracing across the ground for a moment he glanced back to her. Yes, she had a dirty knee.

He could visualize her knee scrape across the ground now, meaning she attacked with her left hand.

Yes, this was good.

Mikoto Uchiha fought back, almost got away.

Kakashi checked underneath her nails. Didn't seem to be any obvious sign of skin tissue under them that he could see with the naked eye but he would have them checked in an autopsy later. She could have punched them too. Hopefully, they were walking around with her fist bruised into their face. Or a bite mark. She would have known to leave her mark behind if she could.

After the scuffle, the crawling had begun anew and had gone on for a few feet before she had given up the ghost, but up until that moment, she had repeatedly tried to keep going until she finally dropped for that last time, succumbing to her all too early death.

"You tried getting away, didn't you?" he said, not caring he was speaking out loud and essentially to himself. "But they were relentless. Try resting in peace now, I'll watch over your son for you and I swear we'll get the monster who did this to you and your family. There will be justice... Speaking of which, where is your husband? Was he not near you?"

Where was Fugaku? Kakashi made a note in his notepad to pay particular attention to the man's location once it was found and graphed.

He stood up and walked around the perimeter until he finally saw the Squad Ten officer. Choji was arguing with what Kakashi was going to assume was a reporter. From his angle, he couldn't see who it was behind Choji's bigger frame but he could already tell that they were standing within the taped off area.

_Oh boy,_ Kakashi thought. It begins already. Prying the eager-for-stories reporters from the scene of the crime could be such a chore and headache-inducing task.

"Excuse me, is there a problem here?" Kakashi asked in a loud authoritative voice as he approached the bickering officer and reporter.

"Yes, Captain Kakashi," Choji said pointing to the other party. "She _refuses_ to leave."

Part of him wanted to groan out loud when he saw who _she_ was.

Temari.

Her thin and curvy frame stood tall and she looked threateningly to Kakashi. "Well, if it isn't the Detective Hatake."

"Temari," he said, already feeling his headache spike. "Isn't it a little too early for this? Just get back and let us do our job before you do anything that can't be undone."

She scoffed, grinning snidely at that. "Your job? Let you _do_ it?"

Oh boy.

"Well, you know what they say." She smiled maliciously. "The early bird catches the scoop. Besides, I gotta make a living somehow since my dear father fell victim to the Akatsuki because a_ certain_ organization_ failed_ to protect him. Yeah, some good _you_ are at your job, even all this time later. The body count just keeps growing, doesn't it, _Scarecrow_."

He forced himself to not react to the fact she somehow knew that name.

"Temari, we've been through this. And I'm sick of you trying to undermine us every time there's a homicide."

Every single time he was assigned to one, guess who was there to try to cause trouble or discredit him? It had become her purpose in life and Kakashi was sick of it.

"I know I screwed up, but it was beyond our— look, you know who this is really about and don't want to admit that he didn't want—"

The slap was hard and vicious. She lowered her hand, the limb shaking. "You have no right to bring_ him_ up."

Choji made to grab her, handcuffs already in hand but Kakashi raised his arm. "Don't."

"But—"

"You go on ahead, I'll handle her."

She glared at him relentlessly and unforgiving.

Choji quickly rushed off.

In his absence, Temari spoke again. "How long are you going to keep spitting out excuses?"

"Temari, this is about now. For goodness sake. That was five years ago. Let it go."

"Let it _go_? The _audacity_ for you to tell me that!"

Shifting, he continued, keeping his voice firm but not harsh. "You're right. I'm the last person who needs to tell you that. But until someone else gets it through that thick skull of yours, I have no choice. Not when you are going too far and interfering with other cases. And right now, you are behind police lines and are possibly contaminating potential evidence. Now go."

She placed a balled fist on her hip. "You know... I just happen to be the person who called this in. You should show me some respect. No. Gratitude."

Kakashi shook his head, his frustration real close to making itself known. He had every right to arrest her at this point.

But some part of him just couldn't.

"Listen Temari, I still feel bad about the whole Suna incident. That my Squad wasn't able to save your family, but if you don't get off the premises the same thing that happened to you is going to happen to one of my squad members. You wouldn't truly want that, would you?"

_Seeing your family dead on the TV screen as a news reporter rambled on about the horror when they couldn't even begin to understand what true horror even was…_

"Please," Kakashi said. "I can't undo my past mistakes but if you so kindly get behind the tape we can make this easier for everyone. I'll question you about what you saw and after that, the Purge will find more evidence, then you can make your report. But not yet… And if you don't get behind the line I'll have you arrested. I don't want to do that."

Temari stubbornly crossed her arms. Looks like things were going to have to be done the hard way. Kakashi pulled out a pair of tweezers and picked a strand of blonde hair from the grass. His eye never missed anything.

"Look what I just found, if this hair matches yours you just went from being the caller to a _suspect_."

"WHAT!?" she hissed. "But I called it in! I'm just a reporter!"

He frowned as he dropped the hair in a small evidence bag and sealed it. The hair, of course, belonged to her and had just fallen recently. But... On the front of the plastic bag he wrote with a thick black marker:

**_CASE: UCHIHA MASSACRE_**

**_ITEM: STRAND OF BLONDE HAIR, NOT UCHIHA_**

**_DATE: 10/4_**

**_TIME: 6:52 AM_**

**_LOCATION: Outside Uchiha Estate Gates, found approx. four yards to the left of the entrance._**

**_OFFICER: DETECTIVE HATAKE, KAKASHI_**

**_REMARKS:_**

He paused for emphasis, then began writing under 'Remarks' in big clear letters so she could see it perfectly:

**_BELONGS TO A VERY ANGRY SUSPECT WITH A LONG TERM GRUDGE AGAINST PURGE._**

**_TALK TO HER EMPLOYER._**

**_:)_**

"You've got to be joking! T-That's—"

"Official evidence now. Found directly within the yellow tape. Yup, that's why you stay behind the lines, Miss. Temari."

"You piece of sh—"

"Ah, ah, ah," he said, waving his finger. "None of that, now."

She was seething mad but he continued nonchalantly "You're a reporter who just _happens_ to be standing at a crime-scene before anyone else and not only that but the one who called this in, in the wee hours of the morning. What the heck were you doing out at that time of day? How do I know you aren't the murderer and are just using your job as a way to cover up your tracks?"

"What the heck are you even talking about?!"

He ignored her and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Mhm, let's look at motive now. You hate my guts and feel the compulsive need to use your profession as an excuse to butt heads with the Purge which I have a high rank in. But your attempts at successful stories to discredit me have failed. So it's time to take it to the next level. You want Squad Seven to go through the exact thing you went through… It just happens Naruto is an orphan and doesn't have any family for you to kill. So you struck Sasuke's home first. God knows you can't kill mine. He done offed himself for you."

He looked to the bag, smiling. "Yup, this'll do."

"How dare you!" she yelled, the rage in her voice trembling. "I would never sink so low! Yes, I hate the Purge but I would never kill! I'm not some freaking psycho." She grabbed her camera and swiftly stepped over the tape. "This city deserves to see you guys fall! And when you do, I'll be the one to unmask you guys for what you really are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kakashi inquired grimly.

She didn't answer but mumbled under her breath, leaving the scene. Kakashi sighed, exasperated, and crumpled the bag up. He'd throw it in the trash later on.

**_Note to self: See if date coincides with the Suna Incident from five years ago. Connections?_**

**_Unlikely._**

**_But still._**

Dotting the last period, Kakashi caught a figure in a dark hoodie in his peripheral vision, hovering at the edge. When Kakashi looked up, he was gone.

"Hm."

Back inside the gate, Sai handed him an index card. "Here, the prints. Can you go ahead and drop this off at headquarters? The knife too? This guy's still out there and he's going to want to get out of town. We need to get him in our custody before that happens."

Once one was officially accused of a crime, there was no bail or waiting for warrants. Too many times people had gotten away in that window of time, or straight up destroyed the evidence or the room where the crime took place. Scrubbed it down, or dumped the car or body somewhere obsolete. So the Purge had shut that window altogether. If proven innocent they were released and properly compensated for the trouble. But not until then.

And if proven guilty, well they found themselves in a cell rather than a hotel-like room to stay in while the case was fully investigated.

Kakashi pocketed the card and knife.

"Alright, but be careful. The rest of Squad Ten should be here to help assist soon. After I'm done scanning this I'm going to have Temari questioned."

Sai nodded, smiling. "Oh, reporters."

"Heh, you can say that again."

He was almost in his car when Kiba's pulled up. His giant white dog, Akamaru hopped out of the sleek black vehicle, nose already in the air.

"Hey Ki—"

Akamaru began barking wildly, feet dancing against the ground. Kiba's mouth dropped, he started shouting but Kakashi had already begun moving.

"SAI!" he yelled, but it was too late and the slab grey building before them exploded, then like dominions, a trigger of explosions went from house to house in seconds, making a noise that had Kakashi's ears ringing.

Kakashi fell back, overwhelmed by the force of heat and smoke that discharged from the Uchiha estate.

Coughing, he took cover in his car and banged his head on the steering wheel with a loud curse. This was a nightmare. He quickly pulled out his radio.

"Tsunade, the estate just blew up! We need firefighters and a medic immediately! Call everyone, we need to salvage anything we can!"

_-xxxxxxx-_

Purge Headquarters resided in the center of the city. A massive structure consisting of four stories, the first of which housed its lobby and a huge break room that seemed more like its own house than anything else.

Naruto greeted Hinata who was sitting at one of the tables, sipping tea from an ornate cup. She was a member of Squad Eight but seemed to pop up around his squad a lot. In front of her was a small bunch of papers which she was filling out with neat and rather petite handwriting. It reminded him of calligraphy.

Naruto fluidly typed his badge number into the computer before approaching the table she was at, twirling the nearest chair around.

She nearly spilled her drink at his seemingly sudden appearance. "N-Naruto!"

"Hey, Hinata."

Wiping the few droplets that had spilled with a napkin, she looked at him in shock. "Did you just get here?"

He rubbed his head sheepishly. "Um... Yeah, I kinda... slept in."

Slept in was the simplest explanation he could come up with. "I guess, I was just really tired or something and my alarm didn't go off because my phone died."

He plopped down in the chair, setting an energy drink down to the side.

"Those things aren't good for you," she commented, noticing.

"I know but coffee's too bitter."

"I see."

Slurping about half the can in a single gulp, he leaned close to her to read the papers she was filling out.

"That report on the blood found at the shop last week?"

She could feel his breath touch her ear and she blushed, tilting her head away slightly.

Trying to get her heart to slow, Hinata nodded. "Yes. I was trying to figure out a motive. Think I've narrowed it down a bit."

"Ah, good."

"The vic was in his forties," Hinata said. "Went by, um, by... Killer B."

Naruto laughed. "I would too with that ridiculously long name of his. Betcha no one can remember it, it's like six syllables. Heh... Wait, Killer B? Seems threatening though. What's this guy do?"

She continued flipping through the report. "He was a wrestler."

"That explains it."

"He also frequented this club in town, basically a hangout for rap battling. I was going to investigate that tomorrow for leads, but I think his official profession is more likely the cause of death, at least that was my conclusion looking into it yesterday. I didn't like the atmosphere there. We think it's possible he was murdered for not taking a bribe to throw a match for a wrestling gig. There was a championship recently and he won. That didn't make the home folk happy. Or at least from what we've been able to find so far. There's still more people to ask."

Naruto sighed, rubbing his hand through his bangs. He had bright hair and his long hair hung nearly long enough to reach his eyes. She averted her eyes. She didn't want to just stare at him, that was weird...

"Why do people do it?"

"What?"

"It's just a stupid trophy. And now this guy is never going to fight again. Over a hunk of metal. A life. For _that_."

"It's a power thing, Naruto. You know, recognition. Status."

"It's sick."

"Well, that's why the Purge is here. They won't ever leave once we get ahold of them. Not for this murder."

"I don't know, have you heard that some of the Akatsuki members have been transferred out? Where to no one's telling me."

"Really?" she said. "This is news to me."

"Yeah, well... Hey, can I borrow your charger?"

"Um, sure."

She fought back a mortified scream as she rummaged through her designer purse and pulled out a charger that was lilac and had a heart drawn on it with a permanent marker. A little addition by her younger sister, and one she instantly wished she had risked damaging the charger to scrub off with scalding water.

If he noticed, he didn't seem to mind. Just plugged his phone up and waited for it to turn on.

As he waited, she heard him mumble "Justice should always be absolute."

Hinata gave a soft smile. "You never waver."

"Huh?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

Seconds later his phone turned on, flashing the lock screen's wallpaper. He seemed to pause to look at it. A picture of him with his squad, all smiling and looking like they were having a great time together. It was a picture he stared at a lot.

And one of the few pictures he had of himself. Frozen in a happy time with those he cared about most. They all had it too, framed and on their desks.

Part of her hated that she wasn't in it.

Looking down, Hinata gathered her paperwork and readied to leave. "I need to go," she said.

"I wanna help."

She turned around, halfway out the door. "What was that?"

"I wanna help," he clarified, his voice louder this time. "I know I don't work with homicide cases as much as theft and others but, I wanna find out who killed this guy, Killer B. I want to catch this guy. Make them pay."

She smiled. "Alright. Tomorrow I'm going to ask around at the club in the Kumo District. It's called the Raijin. Three-a-clock."

"Raijin? Odd name. Alright. Sounds like a date."

She nearly fell backward.

_-xxxxxxx-_

On the second floor, Kakashi waited for the computer to scan the prints. He had just gotten back and had rushed to get a match as soon as he could.

The machine made a slight buzzing sound as it went through God knows how many prints. The detective rubbed his hands through his hair, listening to the noise and just thinking to himself. He still hadn't told Sasuke the news and he would have to do it soon or gossip would. The sound of footsteps approaching interrupted his train of thought. Kakashi looked up to see Yamato peering down at him.

"How's Sai?" Yamato asked. "Please tell me he's doing better than his equipment did."

Kakashi had expected such an outcome. Purge technology was pretty advanced but there had been no saving it or any of his other stuff from the fire. Pretty much all of the evidence at the Uchiha estate had been burnt as smoothly as the tip of a match.

"Fortunately, last I checked anyway, Sai's alive but he's still in the ER with Sakura," Kakashi said gloomily. "I already informed Sakura about this case seeing as how she'll be the one to conduct the autopsy."

Sakura in the know left only half of Squad Seven ignorant now: the rival Uzumaki and Uchiha.

"Autopsy?" Yamato asked, slightly confused. "I thought the explosion…"

"Destroyed all the bodies? They did. Save for one," replied Kakashi. "Sasuke's mother: Mikoto Uchiha. If she had not been outside the gates…"

Yamato nodded understandingly.

"She is literally all we have left."

Sighing, Yamato held up a file. "He just finished this and turned it into me. If you're going to tell him yourself, I suggest you do it now. It's on the news already."

Kakashi nodded.

_-xxxxxxx-_

_Where were you all last night?_

This was a question Sasuke wanted to ask Naruto very much but he still had yet to spot him.

Exhaling, he approached Hinata who was exiting one of the labs. If anyone knew where Naruto was, it would be her. "Have you seen Naruto today?"

She started to open her mouth to speak but Sasuke's inquiry remained unanswered as Kakashi tapped him on the shoulder. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Hinata stepped back and Sasuke nodded. "Shoot."

"Not here."

Sensing something was off, Sasuke shrugged and followed him.

"What did you bring me here for, Kakashi?" Sasuke asked as he sat at the smooth grey table and began tapping his fingers against its surface impatiently.

The room that Kakashi had taken him to, was often used for meetings but other than that it was empty save for the table. The table must have held at least twenty chairs. Enough for the council when it was time for judgment to be decided by the Alpha. Kakashi sat in a chair across from Sasuke.

"Give me your gun."

"Why?"

"Just give it here, please."

Sasuke removed the _Susanoo_ from his holster and slid the gun across the table to Kakashi who carefully grabbed it. "Last night—" Kakashi started but stopped which annoyed Sasuke. Kakashi pulled the gun's magazine out then proceed to empty it of all its bullets. He then pocketed the bullets, making sure to zip them in his pouch.

"Your other one too, please."

Sasuke's second and custom magazine followed and Kakashi gave them the same treatment.

Sasuke waited.

Not lifting his eyes, Kakashi commented: "You keep a knife tucked in your boot."

"And?"

"Give me your blade, too."

The Uchiha rolled his eyes as he removed and slid it across the table as well. "Happy now? Care to explain already?"

Kakashi nodded, staring down at the silver blade which, of course, was thoroughly well cared for as one would expect from Sasuke. Kakashi, satisfied these dangerous tools were on his side of the table rather than the other, finally began his explanation once again.

"I'm afraid I have terrible news. Last night, the— something happened."

"Stop stepping on eggshells and spit it out already." Sasuke's voice hinted at both boredom and anger.

Kakashi stared at him for a moment.

"Give me your keys too."

"What?"

"Just trust me."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously but he did as directed and slid his keys across the table.

Kakashi began again. "I'll be frank. Last night, someone went through the Uchiha estate, murdering seemingly everyone within its walls. I suspect it had been done in the dead of night, to make the assault easier. I don't know the exact extent or if anyone might have gotten out and survived but upon investigation this morning a series of strategically placed bombs were set off, destroying most of the evidence."

Sasuke's face was blank.

"Your… mother was one of the victims. She was also the only body recovered from the scene. I can only assume your father is dead as well. They made it clear they were after the heart of the Uchiha."

"..."

"I can only hope she'll lead us to who did this so they can be brought to justice."

Sasuke trusted Kakashi enough to know he would never lie about something like this. His face finally showed signs of shock, then after a minute or two reflected sadness. He looked down, shaking his head.

A solid minute of quiet seemed to pass. But then his eyes darkened intensively, his lips curling into an angry frown. "Where's Naruto?"

"I don't see what he has to do with this." Kakashi waved dismissively. "I'll let him know later, until then just stay here and we'll—"

Sasuke stood up suddenly, knocking his chair down. It clattered as his fists slammed against the table.

"JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

Disturbed, Kakashi leaned forward, trying to regain eye contact.

"Sasuke, I don't see how he has anything to do with—"

"HE WAS AT THE ESTATE LAST NIGHT!"

This was bad. Very bad. He needed to get Sasuke to calm down. "What are you talking about, why would he have gone there?"

Sasuke laughed bitterly. "My father emailed him a few days ago about some meeting. He hasn't come back to the apartment since! He was gone all night! Now tell me where he is, Kakashi!"

"Don't be so rash, Sasuke."

Sasuke lunged for his gun but Kakashi slapped his hand against the Uchiha's arm, holding it in an iron grip. "You know damn well," he hissed, "that even if he had been there last night, the killing was not his doing. You will _not_ take your anger or sadness out on him and you will not lay a singer finger on him. Not _one_."

"Tch." Sasuke tried pulling his shaking arm free but Kakashi refused to let go just yet. The Uchiha's eyes were still burning with instance hatred.

"Your family is dead. We will find who did it and justice will be carried out properly. Do you hear me, Sasuke? Don't you dare isolate yourself in this. You're not the only one who's been in this boat. The Purge will get the people responsible and Squad Seven will do it together! Do not vent on him, do you hear me? That won't bring them back!"

Sasuke's head dropped, his bangs covered his expression making him unreadable. The only sign he was reacting was the fact his arm had stopped shaking.

"I refuse to let the squad shatter from this. It's bad, I know, but we're going to handle this together. We will get through this, Sasuke. You, you'll get through this. Together, all right?"

Small drops of water fell on the table. Kakashi seeing them fall steadily released the Uchiha's arm and left.

Time would inevitably heal a broken man but never a dead one.

Kakashi waited outside the hallway, giving Sasuke a few minutes to collect himself. People went back and forth, mostly oblivious to their plague. After what felt like enough time, he went back inside and informed Sasuke that they had at least one lead so far. The prints.

_-xxxxxxx-_

Back in the lab with the scanner, they waited in the thick silence. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Yamato. Quietly Kakashi mentioned the odd email exchange between Fugaku Uchiha and Naruto, asked if he had seen him this morning (Yamato hadn't) but didn't say much else. The events of the night followed by its unfortunate morning had put a dark cloud over the building and under it, no one felt very talkative. A quiet beep from the computer broke the silence, signaling that the scanning was complete. Thankful, Kakashi looked closely at the monitor.

"That's strange," he murmured. "The symbol on here, it's the Purge crest."

The Purge crest, the symbol of a fiery phoenix guarding the 'P' from behind, caught his attention more quickly than the name that would forever change the Purge. It belonged to a Purger? The particular crest design on the screen signified that the person was one of the PH's own employees. There were slight variances of the PH crests depending on the Purger's forte and this one was proudly adorned with four stars—they were an S-Rank officer.

"They're a Purger?" Yamato asked. Behind him was Sasuke. "Who in the blazes?"

Kakashi didn't respond but instead stared in disbelief at the screen as he finally zeroed in on the name that contained not one, but two surnames. His eyes wide, he quickly began tapping on the computer's touchscreen. "Impossible," he muttered. He zoomed in on the two prints to inspect them more closely but it only revealed how absolutely perfect the match was. It can't be…

Sasuke leaned over his shoulder as Yamato read the name out loud.

"Namikaze. Naruto Uzumaki."

The door to the room opened, Naruto walked in, throwing his backpack down. "Sorry, I'm late Captain."

No one had heard him come in.

Yamato looked to Kakashi, eyebrows drawn down. "Namikaze?"

"So I was told to come here but I'm really confused."

All eyes turned toward him now.

Naruto stared at everyone dubiously. "What's going on?"

Before Kakashi could answer, or move, Sasuke already was, pointing a finger in the air. "You did this!"

"Huh?"

Sasuke's teeth were grinding together. Before anyone else could say a word, he was pointing his gun at Naruto's face.

"Sasuke!"

It was too late. He pulled the trigger.


End file.
